Here's an interesting one: it looks like BMW built a bunch of F20 135i in various versions. Not the M135i with the 315hp engine - the regular 300hp N55. They remained purely test vehicles, didn't even receive a model designation ("NIE PROD" is listed where it would normally be).

These are hatches that are testing the engine configuration for the coupe/convertible. So they will never be in production, much like the current 135i coupe was never in the prior hatch

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Right. It has been confirmed by a number of BMW sources.

Indeed. It could very well be that the new I6 simply is not ready yet. And they certainly don't want to delay the 4 Series. So we may have to wait until next year or sometime after for the new engines to hit. But rest assured that they will arrive sooner than later and they will be bringing both more power and more efficiency.

They're waiting on a different model to use for this new engine debut

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Yes, I was serious about that 480 HP number. I don't know when the car will come out... but it was in a 5GT 550i that I saw it in.

With the refresh of the F10/F07 there will be the intro of the M Performance line of petrol cars to the 5 Series lineup... they are out there with blue calipers, wheels, exhausts and new aero plus some new stuff on the inside.

Let's just say I retracted my M135i order this past week because of something I heard from a birdie. My build date wasn't until March so there was no harm done (except I have been waiting for a while because allocations are slim).

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel
Right. It has been confirmed by a number of BMW sources.

Indeed. It could very well be that the new I6 simply is not ready yet. And they certainly don't want to delay the 4 Series. So we may have to wait until next year or sometime after for the new engines to hit. But rest assured that they will arrive sooner than later and they will be bringing both more power and more efficiency.

They're waiting on a different model to use for this new engine debut :

Let's just say I retracted my M135i order this past week because of something I heard from a birdie. My build date wasn't until March so there was no harm done (except I have been waiting for a while because allocations are slim).

M135d?

__________________

A gen-u-ine BMW eff-eight-zero with them tandem clutches in the transmission and that dad gum sun roof on the top-a da cawr.

Probably the F15 X5. The X5 is still a big volume seller, especially in the US.

Does the F15 trail the F32 by a significant margin of time? AFAIK they are both hitting this year, and both being revealed sometime this summer. I suppose they could make the new engine exclusive to the X5 for a year but that seems an odd way to treat your brand new 4 Series model.

I bet the B68 does not show it's face until next year. Just my hunch.

__________________

A gen-u-ine BMW eff-eight-zero with them tandem clutches in the transmission and that dad gum sun roof on the top-a da cawr.

Does the F15 trail the F32 by a significant margin of time? AFAIK they are both hitting this year, and both being revealed sometime this summer. I suppose they could make the new engine exclusive to the X5 for a year but that seems an odd way to treat your brand new 4 Series model.

I bet the B68 does not show it's face until next year. Just my hunch.

F15 should show up around September. But you're right, just a few months after the F32, and the excitement of a new engine would be better suited to F32 buyers.

If it doesn't show up in the F32 or F15, there's really not much on tap for MY2015. LCI F25, M3/M4, F22/F23, and the i3. None really seem like good candidates to really highlight a replacement N55. Especially the i3

Because there's really no meaningful difference between a 335i and 335is, both will perform the same??

"Meaningful" is in the eye of the beholder - but the 335is has a tuned version of the N54 engine, not the N55. BMWUSA shows it to be .2 second faster to 60 MPH. It also has some cool exhaust treatment going on along with some visual cues. It's an interesting option over the 335i if you're looking to go RWD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mapezzul

They're waiting on a different model to use for this new engine debut

Again, BMW already has a version of the N55 engine in the 640i that is tuned to higher horsepower and torque numbers than the one in the 335. The 435 might be a more powerful car and still use the N55 engine. I'd be surprised if it isn't.

These are hatches that are testing the engine configuration for the coupe/convertible. So they will never be in production, much like the current 135i coupe was never in the prior hatch

They're waiting on a different model to use for this new engine debut

With the refresh of the F10/F07 there will be the intro of the M Performance line of petrol cars to the 5 Series lineup... they are out there with blue calipers, wheels, exhausts and new aero plus some new stuff on the inside.

Let's just say I retracted my M135i order this past week because of something I heard from a birdie. My build date wasn't until March so there was no harm done (except I have been waiting for a while because allocations are slim).

If it doesn't show up in the F32 or F15, there's really not much on tap for MY2015. LCI F25, M3/M4, F22/F23, and the i3. None really seem like good candidates to really highlight a replacement N55. Especially the i3

4 Series Gran Coupe, like I said.

I can't think of any better place to introduce it.

__________________

A gen-u-ine BMW eff-eight-zero with them tandem clutches in the transmission and that dad gum sun roof on the top-a da cawr.

I'd say this information is pretty accurate, but doesn't mean all of those cars will go in production, however most of them will.

Series that do no go in production have "NIE PROX (EUR)" in the model field.
It is not always EUR since it depends on the market. Some of the NIE PROX models I know of are E31 830i Manual and Automatic and E38 740il Manual.

To the people who complain about BMW using the old engine in the new 3/4 series. Remember that every 3 series since E36 had its engine replaced within a year by a new or an improved version.

To people that can not find those VIN in ASAP. BMW has two places where you can check for the build sheets. ETK(parts catalog) and VIN feature decoder. New cars and non-production cars are not available in the ETK catalog and should be checked in the VIN feature decoder.

Another thing worth mentioning. Power figures are not always accurate.
E28 M5 build sheets show that it has 0kw. E92 M3 GTS build sheets show that it is 4.0l and has the same power as a regular M3. This is understandable because GTS is build in the same VIN sequence as a regular M3 coupe. However M3 CRT has its own VIN range and engine specs are correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ynguldyn

I wish I had a Transbase viewer...

Why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverDriven

This is like people making judgments based on camo'ed test cars. You can't tell anything. These aren't the real numbers. BMW isn't stupid.

Series that do no go in production have "NIE PROX (EUR)" in the model field.
It is not always EUR since it depends on the market. Some of the NIE PROX models I know of are E31 830i Manual and Automatic and E38 740il Manual.

Interesting you mention this - I've just found a US spec E61 525iT.

As for Transbase, I use ETK DVD database table dump to tell me which ranges _not_ to check.

Did you manage to pull the ranges or you are doing the checks manually?

tbi32.exe to dump the VIN table (credentials are in plaintext in the connection between tomcat backend and Transbase service), a Python script to read the resulting file and hit everything not in the listed ranges and ending in 00.

tbi32.exe to dump the VIN table (credentials are in plaintext in the connection between tomcat backend and Transbase service), a Python script to read the resulting file and hit everything not in the listed ranges and ending in 00.

Doing the same thing, but dumped ETK data into MySQL and using PHP to do the same thing.
I've done everything from AA##### to WZ##### at this point. Tried to find E36 and E46 M3 GTR data, but had no luck.

Doing the same thing, but dumped ETK data into MySQL and using PHP to do the same thing.
I've done everything from AA##### to WZ##### at this point. Tried to find E36 and E46 M3 GTR data, but had no luck.